“The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown is one of her earlier works but such a “go to.” It’s a book on letting go of our perceptions and “shoulds” of who we are supposed to be and cultivating who we are. Much of Brown’s work focuses on shame, vulnerability, authenticity, and empathy. One of her messages about dealing with the shame monster is to “share your shame with someone who has earned the right to hear it.”
The book starts off exploring Courage, Compassion, and Connection. I think this ties in nicely with her common themes as we need courage to be vulnerable and share our shame, which breeds compassion, and drives connection. The next section is on Love, Belonging, and Being Enough. Sit with that for a minute.
“It’s as simple and complicated as this: If we want to fully experience love and belonging, we must believe that we are worthy of love and belonging.”
The remainder of the book is filled with 10 Guideposts of cultivating and letting go. She has chapters on topics such as self-compassion, resiliency, creativity, and calm and stillness. I just love the topics that she chooses and how she frames them as what we need to cultivate more of and what we need to let go of. At the end of each chapter, she has a section called, “Dig Deep” where she provides suggestions on practicing what we are cultivating.
Overall, I loved this book! It’s such a simple read and can be read at various times not necessarily succinctly. Brene Brown’s work is so hot right now and she does an incredible job of making the material so relatable and easily digestible. You cannot go wrong with any of her books!
Read this book if:
- You are a human.
Brown, B. (2010). The Gifts of Imperfection. Center City, Minnesota: Hazelden.